Obamacare: who doesn’t have to have coverage

I am self-employed, and don’t have insurance. I’m single, uninsured, and make around $45,000 a year. When I did the “calculate how much I get towards health insurance” it stated that I would not have a penalty to pay if I decided not to have insurance. Is this correct?

Escaped the Tax?

Dear Escaped the Tax,

It is possible that you could escape the penalty (“tax”). You would qualify if you were an American Indian, an undocumented immigrant, in jail, or the lowest cost plan cost more than 8% of your income. You would also qualify if you earned less than the tax-filing minimum, but that does not appear to apply to you. The tax filing minimum is $9,750 and you earn a great deal more than that. The last exception is people who object to insurance for religious reasons; this has to be documented and you cannot make up your own religion!

If none of these exceptions apply to you, perhaps you accidentally clicked one of them when you tried the on-line tool. Or it was just a good old-fashioned cyber fart. On October 1, you can visit www.healthcare.gov and find your state’s exchange. The exchange will have tools to calculate your subsidies, plan costs, and let you know whether you qualify for an exception.